A Gift on Christmas Day
by light4dawn
Summary: Bella and Jacob have been together since the newborn battle, and Edward has left. Many years later, they are expecting a child and celebrate Christmas with family. J/B One Shot. Entry for 2011 JBNP Christmas One Shot contest. Won 3rd place for Best One Shot-Suspense/Thriller in The Eclipse Awards!


**_Disclaimer:_**

_The following is based on the characters, settings, and events that appear in the Twilight series of books by Stephenie Meyer. All recognizable and/or trademarked elements, including, but not limited to, characters, settings, events, plot points, dialogue, etcetera, are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended. The author of this specific story (known by the pen name, light4dawn) is in no way associated with Stephenie Meyer, or any other affiliates involved with the Twilight series of books and the stories within. This work is intended for entertainment purposes only, and no profit is knowingly generated as a result of it. Only aspects entirely unique and original to this story are owned by this story's author._

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><p><strong>A Gift on Christmas Day<strong>

The Setting:

_After the newborn fight, during Jacob's convalescence, Bella decides it's Jake she can't live without. She tells Edward of this choice, and as he had promised Jacob in the tent, he leaves without fanfare or a fight. He says his goodbyes to Bella and warns Jacob to keep her happy, and that he'll be watching and waiting in the wings._

_Many years later. . . ._

Jacob and Bella are in love, as they have been for many years. They are the best of friends, as they have been for many years. They are childless, as they have been for many years.

Jacob looks at the disaster of a kitchen in front of him and smiles. He has been spending every day after work this week baking or making whatever he can in advance for Christmas dinner. It's hard work. He knows how to cook, but not all this fussy, fancy stuff that Bella likes to have for special occasions. It also creates a huge mess, every single day. It all makes him happy thinking about why this is his job this year.

Bella is on the couch, her legs stretched out across its length. She's watching the cooking channel, again. It's another episode of that pretty Italian chef that's just too thin to look like she eats. She's already seen this episode earlier this morning.

Bella has to go to the bathroom again, but she's trying to hold it - again. She just went a little while ago, and it was such an effort to get up. Her head twists as she leans it towards the kitchen. Jacob's busy scrubbing mixing bowls and beater attachments. She decides he needs to be left alone for a little while. She can just sit up a bit more and cross her legs. Fifteen minutes isn't that long. She smiles, thinking how wonderful her life is.

They have been waiting for this day for over five years. Month after month they were slapped in the face by a little plastic stick that just never showed them the right symbol. They had wanted to try something else, but they didn't have the money, and Jacob couldn't get his blood or semen tested. But then, it finally happened for them. The stick finally showed them the right symbol.

"Jake, are you sure there's nothing I can do to help?"

"Hey, remember what the doctor said. You need to take it easy. It'll be any day now. Is there anything I can get _you_?"

"Nothing that can't wait until you're done in there."

There is knocking on the door. Bella moves to get up and Jacob yells from the kitchen for her to sit down. He calls out, "Come in!" The door opens as Charlie, Sue, Leah and Seth walk in.

"I didn't hear anything, and I was the closest one to the door! Maybe I'm getting old. Sue did you hear anyone saying to come in?"

"Sure, Charlie. I heard something, but I couldn't exactly make out the words."

Charlie turns to walk into the house, and Sue gives her children a stern look.

"Hey Dad, Sue, Leah, Seth. Merry Christmas!" Bella calls from the couch.

"Hasn't that kid come out yet, Bella?" Leah snickers.

"No, not yet. The doctor said I could come in to get induced after the holidays if nothing happens. He would have had me come in earlier, but you know, it's the holidays. . . ."

"Hey, Bella. Are you still on doctor ordered rest duty?"

"Yeah, Seth, so Jake's been in charge of Christmas dinner this year."

"Well, if I had known that, I would have stayed in New York!" Leah smiles as she makes her way into the kitchen, punching Jacob playfully in the arm.

"Ha ha, Leah. I don't remember you ever complaining all those times you ate my Fourth of July party food," Jacob comments, hitting her back.

"Yeah, yeah, Black. Don't expect any compliments from me. If your head got any bigger, you'd have to buy a convertible."

"Hey, Bells, Merry Christmas, honey!" Charlie says to his daughter, as he leans in to kiss her cheek. "You look wonderful."

"Aw, come on, Dad. We all know I look like the Michelin tire mascot."

"Why, Bella, you're simply glowing! You look beautiful pregnant!" Sue exclaims, with nothing but sincerity in her voice.

"See, Sue, that's what I keep telling her, but she doesn't believe anything I say!" Jacob hollers from the kitchen.

Just then, the door opens again, this time with no knocking beforehand.

"Hey, you can start the party now, we're here!"

"Ever hear of knocking, Paul?" Jacob sneers, as he shouts from the kitchen.

"Hey, we're family! What I want to know is why we don't have a key to this place!" Paul answers, as he walks in the door, pushing Billy in his wheelchair.

Behind him is his wife, Rachel and their children.

"Aunt Bella, is the baby here yet?"

"No honey, not yet, but soon."

"Hi, Bella, how're you doing? You must be feeling pretty sluggish by now."

"Hi, Rachel. Yeah, things are pretty slow for me, but I don't mind." She smiles and waves at her sister-in-law. "Rachel, do you mind giving me a hand? I have to go to the bathroom."

"Shit, Bells! Were you holding it again?"

"No, of course not, Jake. Don't be silly."

Rachel comes over and grabs hold of Bella as she helps her to her feet. She guides her down the hall, never letting go of Bella as they walk carefully to the bathroom.

Bella has to go badly now, and standing just makes the sensation worse. She tries to walk faster, but it's difficult. By the time she reaches the bathroom, her bladder is about to burst, and her underwear is already a little damp.

"I'm okay, Rachel. I can do it from here."

"Okay, I'll just be outside the door. You shout if you need help, Bella. Don't get all shy around me. I've already pushed out three kids; there's nothing that'll shock me, or gross me out!"

"Thanks, Rachel." Bella smiles timidly as she closes the bathroom door. She rushes and struggles with her pants, trying to pull them down without pulling her legs apart too much. She moves to sit on the toilet, still struggling with her pants.

Bella is big, and much heavier than she's ever been. She's not accustomed to this additional weight or the limitations to her mobility. She miscalculates and only a little of her bottom actually touches the toilet seat. She feels herself slipping and tries to compensate, but her pants are tight and not pulled down enough. They're just at her upper thigh, enough to keep her from being able to move her legs. She falls, slipping on the floor. Bella reaches to grab something, anything. Instead, her body hits the toilet, making her fall forward, onto her belly.

She's had the wind knocked out of her. Rachel knocks on the door, having heard a loud thud.

"Bella, are you okay?"

"Yup, I'm fine," Bella forces out through gritted teeth. Her voice sounds different. It's strained.

It takes her a few seconds, but she gets it together and starts to get up, but feels a sharp pain. She can feel wetness between her legs and blushes, thinking she's wet her pants. That's when she notices the smell. The four werewolves in the other room notice the smell too. All four of them run down the hallway as Rachel pounds on the door again.

Before she can shout Bella's name, the four have reached the bathroom door and one of them has pulled it open, ripping it off its hinges. Bella is sitting up now, but frozen from shock as tears stream down her face. She's staring at the circle of blood beneath her getting wider and wider. She looks up at her husband.

"Jacob . . . I'm sorry. I should have asked you to help me before. I'm sorry. . . ."

He holds back his own tears, trying to be strong for her. Jacob reaches down and sweeps his wife into his arms, as he lifts her off the cold, stone floor.

"It's okay, honey. Things like this can happen without anything happening to the baby. We're going to get you to the hospital." He walks briskly to the living room wishing he didn't have to put on the facade of being a normal human. "Charlie, did you bring your cruiser? Bella needs to get to the hospital, now!"

Charlie is up with his keys in his hand before Jake enters the room. He's already at the front door, opening it. "I've got it, Jake. You get my girl in the car!"

It only takes seconds for Jacob to get them both in the back seat as he lays Bella down, her head on his lap. Charlie's already in the driver's seat starting the engine. He's put on his siren and they're whipping along the road as fast as his cruiser can go. Thankfully, the roads are dry.

When they get to the hospital, Bella is frantic and incoherent. She's brought in by Jacob, blood all over both of them. Jacob knows he's moving too fast, but he can't get himself to slow down. Charlie is rushing in behind them.

Jacob's entrance catches the attention of everyone. He is a giant, covered in blood, with a limp, hysterical woman in his arms. He's frantic, his face somewhere between crushing sorrow and crazed hysteria.

"I need help! Please, someone help us!" he shouts.

Some people in hospital greens come rushing over with a gurney. Jacob lays Bella down, but won't let go of her. A few people try to loosen his grip on her.

"Sir, we have to take her to the O.R. immediately. You need to let go of her, sir."

Jacob is deaf to all voices but hers.

"Jake, don't leave me. Please, Jake, I'm cold!"

He sees her tears, her pain and most of all, the agony. He knows the agony because he feels it too. He doesn't let go. The people stop struggling, deciding he's stronger than all of them. You just have to look at him to figure that out. Everyone runs alongside the gurney, including Jacob.

When they get to the swinging doors, Jacob hears the voices again.

"Sir? You can't go in there. We need you to at last sign a consent form. The nurse is coming down the hall right now with it. If you want us to help your wife, you have to sign the form. Sir?" Someone shakes him and it startles Jacob. He lets go for just a second and the gurney disappears behind the door. He's about to follow it in, but a clipboard appears right in his face and someone puts a pen in his hand. He pauses just for a few seconds, confused.

He remembers words like "consent form" and "have to sign." Of course, they need permission to help Bella. He looks down for the straight black line. _Where's the damn black line?_ he thinks frantically. After what seems like an eternity, he finds it and scribbles something illegible on it. Before he's done, he hears her voice again.

"Ja-cob! Where are you? I need you, Jacob! Come back! Come back!" She's screaming like she's being tortured.

Jacob pushes the people out of his way, knocking one of them down. He hears them shouting something at him but he crashes in through the swinging doors, past everyone whose hands touch him, until he's touching her.

The moment her hand is in his, she quiets. Someone has put a mask over her nose and mouth and her eyes are closed.

Jacob can hear shouting again.

"Sir, you can't be here! Sir!"

People are grabbing him and pulling, but he is as immovable as a brick wall. He hears another voice shout. This one is not asking. It's more authoritative, but not panicked. It's a decisive voice.

"We don't have time for this. The baby has to come out now. Get over here and everyone do their jobs. This is going to be over in a few minutes anyway. "

With effort, Jacob wrenches his head away from Bella to see what the voices are talking about. The minute he does is the same moment when the scalpel cuts Bella and blood pours out of her. It's so much blood. He's in a daze again.

He hears more words.

"Placental previa"

"We have to cut through the placenta"

"Have to control the bleeding"

"Blood pressure dropping!"

Something bloody is pulled out of Bella's body. It's passed to someone else who takes it to a table. There are three people hovering over the table and the little mound covered in blood.

Jacob hears a loud, high-pitched shrill.

He can hear quiet sighs. They're good sighs. They sound like sighs of relief. There's more talking.

"The bleeding is under control"

"Blood pressure improving"

"Congratulations, it's a beautiful baby girl!"

Some time passes and Bella is awake. Everyone is crowded in the room, happy and smiling.

Words like, "congratulations" and "beautiful" are said over and over again. The room is getting crowded and hot, but no one notices. Everyone is too busy staring down at a little baby that sleeps contentedly, as though the room were silent.

Some more time passes and Jacob steps outside with his father-in-law for some fresh air. They stand just outside the doors of the hospital, giving the others the space and opportunity to meet the new family member.

"She sure had us scared, didn't she, Jake?"

"Yup, she sure did, Charlie. But did you see my daughter? What a looker!"

"She's beautiful, Jake. I'm wondering if she's even better looking than Bella was as a baby." Charlie slaps Jacob on the shoulder playfully. "And what a great sleeper, too!"

"I know. She's perfect, just like her mother."

"Well, let's hope she doesn't give you boy troubles like her mother gave me." Charlie chuckles as he says this.

Jacob recalls the cause of those "boy troubles". He knows it's not him Charlie's talking about. A frown appears, but then he shakes his head, determined not to let anything cloud this day. Jacob puts his hand on Charlie's shoulder, leading him back into the doors.

"Come on, Charlie, I'm not done meeting your granddaughter, yet."

"Okay, son, me either. Let's go!"

They walk in together, both happy, both relieved.

In the distance, outside the hospital, on the very outside edge of the parking lot, is a large black sedan with dark tinted windows. Inside sits a boy and a girl. They look too young to be in such an expensive car.

"I thought you saw her losing the baby," the boy says, with disappointment plain in his voice.

"I never said that," the girl answers sadly. "I just said that she was freaking out and there was blood everywhere. I only saw about half a minute's worth of events. Did you read anything from him?"

"Not, much. He was only thinking about good things, not the bad moments. I only know that the child is perfect and what she looks like. She looks like Bella, exquisite." The boy looks away into the distance, as if remembering something.

"Do you think we could . . ." the girl begins, but doesn't finish her sentence. The boy knows what she's asking.

"No, Alice. I promised him I wouldn't interfere."

"You don't owe him anything."

"No, I don't, but I owe _her_. She deserves to be happy, and she _is_ happy. _He's made_ her happy, just like he said he would. He's given her everything I've always wanted for her."

"Do you think if it was what we thought, that she would have come back?" the girl asks.

"I don't know. I don't think so. Then again, I never did know what she thought."

The girl starts the engine and the car speeds away, the tires squealing as it turns out of the parking lot.

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><p><em>Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I hope you enjoyed it, and a review would be much appreciated!<em>


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